A Utah lawmaker says 2 cases show how adults isolate kids to hide abuse. Her effort to fix it failed

A Utah lawmaker says it's too easy to isolate kids to hide abuse. Her proposal to change that was rejected at the state Legislature.

By: Annie Knox

Outlets: Utah News Dispatch

Published: March 13, 2026

Words: 904

Last Updated: 1 week, 1 day ago

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Sen. Luz Escamilla paused to gather herself before presenting her plan to help the state find children being severely abused or neglected in their own homes. Sitting before a committee of lawmakers last month, she fought tears and held up a photo of 12-year-old Gavin Peterson.

“There were multiple reports. There were concerns. There were red flags, and yet for a year — for the last year of his life — DCFS was unable …

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